Cunningham C-1

The C-1 was designed after Briggs Cunningham had some success at the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Appetites were whetted by their impressive finishes (10th and 11th) in the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans in a virtually stock Cadillac Coupe Deville and a similar car with an aerodynamic body, the Cunningham team embarked on a program to design and build its own cars and win the race outright.

Four roadsters and a coupe were planned, and the first real Cunningham, the C-1, was finished in late 1950. It utilized a Cadillac OHV V-8 engine and Cadillac three-speed manual transmission installed in a massive frame made of three-inch steel tubing with a tubing cruciform cross-member in the center to augment the front and rear crossmembers.

The C-1 had a Ford-based coil spring independent front suspension was used, along with a Cunningham-built de Dion rear axle assembly. The wheelbase was 105 in and the track, front and rear, was 58 inches. The C-1 was the prototype from which the C-2 was to be developed and, as things turned out, the next three cars were C-2s, but with Chrysler Hemi V-8 engines instead of Cadillacs.